New York State 2024-2025 Budget Impact on Employers

On April 20, 2024, New York legislators approved the New York State 2024-2025 Budget. The Budget included three amendments to New York Labor Law affecting all New York employers. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 2 "Reproductive Leave for California"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the second day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me two turtle doves and SB 848.

As of January 1, 2024, California will become only the second state, after Illinois, to provide reproductive loss leave under SB 848. This new leave requires employers with five or more employees to provide five days of unpaid leave when an employee sustains a reproductive loss. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 1 "Expansion of Paid Sick Leave"

The end of something is always the beginning of something else. That always rings true for years end and new employment laws. It is time, once again, for all employers to sit down, buckle up, and get ready for the 2024 employment law updates and changes.

For the first year in many, COVID has dropped off the radar regarding new or changing employment laws. Workplace violence, arbitration, and cannabis are on the 2024 radar.

Before we pop the champagne and say goodbye to 2023, it is time to reprise our annual review of key California labor and employment law developments. In the spirit of the season, we are using our "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. So, on the first day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me a partridge in a pear tree and SB 616. More ›

New York City Amends Safe and Sick Time Regulations

On September 15, 2023, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection issued amended rules relating to the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (“ESSTA”). The amendments codified the New York City Council statutory amendments to the ESSTA in 2020, which was designed to align the ESSTA with the New York State Paid Sick Leave Law. The amended rules went into effect on October 15, 2023. More ›

Hinshaw Insights for Employers Alert: Chicago Adopts Significant New Paid Leave Requirements

Chicago employers are facing significant new mandatory paid leave requirements following action by the Chicago City Council late last week. The new ordinance requires both paid leave and paid sick leave accruals, effectively doubling the minimum number of paid leave days from five to ten days annually. 

On our main website, read our Q&A to get all your employer compliance questions answered about the new ordinance.

President Biden's American Rescue Plan Would Reinstate and Expand Federally Mandated Paid Sick and FMLA Leave

On January 20, 2021, President Biden announced the principal points of his American Rescue Plan (the Plan), a new COVID-19 relief package that would revive the federal mandate on employers to provide paid sick and paid FMLA leave for certain COVID-19-related absences. On February 1, 2021, Republican lawmakers responded with a competing relief package that does not include those paid leave mandates. As of now, neither side has released a draft of the actual proposed legislation. Much of what we know comes from the announcement released by the Biden administration and a chart from Republican Senators. More ›

Hinshaw's 12 Days of California Labor & Employment Series – Day 10: COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Expanded to All Employers

In the spirit of the season—and keeping some semblance of normal—we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On this tenth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me: ten lords a-leaping and AB 1867.

AB 1867 fills a void that was left by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) regarding paid sick leave. The FFCRA was enacted to provide federal paid sick leave and expanded family leave due to the pandemic, but it only applied to employers with less than 500 employees. In response, California enacted a supplemental COVID-19 paid sick leave law through AB 1867. Applicable to businesses with 500 or more employees nationally, AB 1867 in essence guarantees that any employee—regardless of the size of the employer—will receive paid sick leave if needed due to COVID-19. More ›

Federal Court in New York Strikes Down Key Provisions of DOL's FFCRA Final Rule

In State of New York v. United States Department of Labor, the Southern District of New York struck down several key aspects of the Department of Labor's (DOL) Final Rule implementing the provisions of Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Brought by the State of New York, this suit challenged several features of the DOL's Final Rule as exceeding the DOL's authority. The DOL cross-filed for summary judgment and moved to dismiss for lack of standing. More ›